News You Can Use – Save at Starwood Hotels, $20 Off Visa Gift Cards, $5 Off Uber, & More!

1.   Buy 2 Nights, Get the 3rd Night Free With Starwood Hotels in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

You’ll get the 3rd night free when you use your MasterCard to book participating Starwood hotels in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.  There’s no end date listed for this promotion, so I’m NOT sure how long it will last.

This also works for longer stays:

• Buy 3 nights, get 1 night free (valid for 4-night stays only)
• Buy 4 nights, get 2 nights free (valid for 6-night stays only)

Other Important Terms:

• You must use your MasterCard to pay for the room in advance
• Reservations can NOT be changed and are non-refundable
• Not all hotels are participating and a limited number of rooms may be available, or only certain arrival dates
• You can’t combine this offer with other discounts or promotions

This could be a very good deal, especially if plan to book a paid stay in expensive European cities, like London, UK.

For example, with the MasterCard discount, you’ll save ~443 British pounds (~$682) at the W London – Leicester Square in June.

That said, always shop around to be sure you’re getting the best deal!

2.   Get a $20 Rebate on $300 in Visa Gift Cards at Staples

Via Frequent Miler, you’ll get a $20 rebate at Staples when you buy $300 or more in Visa gift cards until May 30, 2015.

There’s a limit of 1 rebate per household.

You can use Visa gift cards to load prepaid American Express accounts like Bluebird, REDcard, or Serve.  This is a great way to meet minimum spending requirements!

To make the most of this offer, you could buy 2 $200 Visa gift cards.  You’ll pay ~$14 in fees, but you’ll get a $20 Visa gift card back from the rebate.  So you’ll end up with ~$6 profit!

Don’t forget to sweeten the deal by using a card that earns 5X points or 5% cash back at office supply stores, such as:

• AMEX SimplyCash – 5% cash back at US office supply stores
• Chase Ink Bold (no longer available) – 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points (5% back) at office supply stores
• Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card – 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points (5% back) at office supply stores
• Chase Ink Plus – 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points (5% back) at office supply stores

3.   AMEX Offer:  Save $5 When You Spend $15 or More With Uber (Targeted)

If you’re new to AMEX Offers, here’s how to find your AMEX Offers and how to sign-up for these deals.

And it’s possible to get these offers more than once!

Other Important Terms:

• This deal is valid for Uber rides in the US only
• If you use a promo code or Uber credit toward your ride, you’ll only get the $5 AMEX credit if the remaining balance is $15 or more
• The AMEX card you register for the offer must be the same AMEX card on file with Uber

Keep in mind, there are lots of other ways to save on Uber rides.  New Uber users who sign-up through our link can earn a $20 credit toward their 1st ride.

All Capital One Quicksilver or Capital One Quicksilver One cardholders get 20% back on Uber rides until April 30, 2016.

And Capital One credit or debit card holders who are new to Uber can get 2 free rides (worth up to $30 each).

4.   Take Quizzes and Earn up to 1,500 Spirit Airlines Miles

You can earn an easy 1,500 Spirit Airlines miles just by answering 3 short quizzes!  But to get the miles, you’ll have to answer every question correctly!

That said, Mommy Points has graciously provided folks with all the correct answers!  🙂

This is a great way to keep your Spirit Airlines miles from expiring (they expire after only 3 months if you don’t have activity in your account!).

Even if you don’t fly Spirit Airlines, you can redeem Spirit Airlines miles for free magazine subscriptions.  And many cost less than 1,500 miles.

5.   Southwest Adds Non-Stop Routes Including New Destination, Liberia, Costa Rica

According to Deals We Like, Southwest is adding more non-stop routes, including their newest destination, Liberia, Costa Rica.

Starting October 15, 2015, they’ll add non-stop service between Houston (Hobby) and:

• Belize City, Belize
• Cancun, Mexico
• Los Cabos, Mexico
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• San Jose, Costa Rica

On November 1, 2015, Southwest will begin flying non-stop between:

• Austin and Boston
• Austin and Seattle
• Baltimore and Liberia, Costa Rica
• Denver and Cleveland
• Denver and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Houston (Hobby) and Liberia, Costa Rica
• Houston (Hobby) and Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Indianapolis and New York (LaGuardia)

Other new non-stop routes include Akron / Canton to Las Vegas (starting November 15, 2015) and Orange County / Santa Ana to Kansas City and St. Louis (from November 22, 2015).

I love it when Southwest adds new cities and better routings!  Even though they recently made changes to their award program, Southwest is still my favorite airline for domestic travel.

That’s because with the Southwest Companion Pass, your companion travels with you for almost free on paid and award tickets.  So it’s like flying 2-for-1!

All 3 Chase Southwest cards currently have an increased sign-up bonus of 50,000 Southwest points after completing minimum spending.

This makes it easier to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, because the sign-up bonus counts toward the 110,000 Southwest points required in a year to qualify.

Remember, Southwest recently opened their schedule through January 4, 2016, so you can book holiday travel now!